1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lever-joint connector, in which a male and a female connectors are jointed with low force and the both connectors and the lever is locked by means of turning a lever.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, a connector using a lever to reduce jointing force is applied for jointing easily a male and female connectors having a lot of terminals.
For example, mounting a lever rotatably on a female connector, providing a locking device on the lever and a male connector, the lever and the male connector are locked by means of locking of the locking devices when the connectors are jointed so that the lever and the connectors are locked.
When an external strong force may break the lever in such lever-joint connector, the locking for the both connectors is damaged and the male and female connectors may be separated to disconnect electrical connecting.
To overcome the above drawback, lock mechanisms for a lever and a male and female connectors are provided separately for improving reliability of connecting. A lock-type connector shown in FIG. 12 is proposed (refer Japanese Patent Application No. H2-278674).
In the lock-type connector 51, a lever 54 having a locking projection 53 is provided rotatably on a female connector 52, and an engaging projection 56 corresponding to the locking projection 53 and a flexible lock arm 57 corresponding to the female connector 52 are provided on a male connector 55 for locking the lever 54 and locking connectors 52, 55 mutually separately.
The lever 54 has a cam groove 58, and the male connector 55 has a projected follower shaft 59 for engaging with the cam groove 58, and the female connector 52 has a slit portion 60 corresponding to the follower shaft 59 in a direction of jointing a connector. The lock arm 57 has a locking projection 61, and the female connector 52 has an engaging concave portion 62 corresponding to the locking projection 61.
Jointing the follower shaft 59 in the slit portion 60, and turning the lever 54 toward near-side, the follower shaft 59 is engaged with the cam groove 58 and pulled along the cam groove 58 in a direction of jointing a connector. Thereby, the male/female connectors 55, 52 are jointed, and locking of the lever 54 and the both connectors 55, 52 are done simultaneously.
In this specification, a connector having a connector receiving section 63 is defined as the female connector 52 and a connector inserted into the connector receiving section 63 is defined as the male connector 55. A plurality of male terminals joined to electric wires are inserted and locked in the female connector 52 and a plurality of female terminals joined to electric wires are inserted and locked in the male connector 55. The male and female terminals (not shown) are connected at the same time when the male and female connectors 55, 52 are jointed.
Regarding the lever-joint connector 51 by prior art, as mentioned above, when jointing the connectors, the locking projection 61 of the lock arm 57 abuts on a front end of the female connector 52 and thereby the lock arm 57 is deflected so that jointing force of the connectors may be increased. When separating the male and female connectors 55, 52 after jointing the connectors, operations of deflecting the lock arm 57 to unlock the lock arm 57, keeping the condition, and turning the lever 54 toward far-side to unlock the lever 54 are required so that unlock operation, i.e. operation for separating connectors is troublesome.
To overcome the above drawback of prior art, one object of this invention is to provide a lever-joint connector in which operating force for jointing connectors and locking connectors is reduced and jointing, separating, and locking and unlocking of a lever and connectors can be done easily and effectively.
In order to attain the objects, a lever-joint connector, according to this invention, includes one half of the connector provided with a freely rotatable lever and the other half of the connector provided with a follower portion to be engaged slidably with the lever, providing a first locking portion and a pushing portion on the lever, providing a first be-locked portion to be locked by the first locking portion and a second locking portion having a be-pushed portion to be pushed by the pushing portion on the one half of the connector, providing a second be-locked portion to be locked by the second locking portion on the other half of the connector, pushing the be-pushed portion during the turn of the lever by means of the pushing portion to turn the second locking portion in a direction of unlocking it from the unlocking with the second be-locked portion.
In the above structure, turning the lever toward a direction for jointing connectors (toward near-side), the other half of the connector together with the follower portion is pulled toward the one half of the connector and the pushing portion of the lever pushes the be-pushed portion of the second locking portion to turn the second locking portion in a direction of unlocking, and the second locking portion is positioned on the second locked portion without contacting or with contacting by a small contacting force, and the pushing portion goes out of the be-pushed portion accompanying with rotation of the lever and engages with the second be-locked portion simultaneously with complete jointing of the connectors, and the both connectors are locked and simultaneously the first locking portion engages with the first be-locked portion to lock the lever. Thus, locking of the lever and the male and female connectors can be done by means of turning only the lever. The second locking portion does not abut on the second be-locked portion so that jointing and locking connectors can be done smoothly by a small force.
Thereafter, for separating the connectors, turning the lever toward a direction for separating (far-side) while unlocking the first locking portion from the first be-locked portion, the pushing portion of the lever pushes the be-pushed portion of the second locking portion to turn the second locking portion for unlocking, and thereby, the second locking portion and the second be-locked portion of the other half of the connector is unlocked. Unlocking the first locking portion of the lever and turning lever, i. e. unlocking the both connectors can be done once by the same finger.
The lever-joint connector, as mentioned above, has an insert portion for inserting the pushing portion, adjacently to the be-pushed portion, on the second locking portion.
In the above structure, when jointing the connector, the pushing portion of the lever goes through the be-pushed portion of the second locking portion into the adjacent insert portion, and thereby, pushing by the pushing portion is released and the second locking portion returns to a direction of locking to engage with the second be-locked portion of the other half of the connector. When separating the connectors, the pushing portion of the lever goes out of the insert portion to push the be-pushed portion so that engagement of the second locking portion and the second be-locked portion is disengaged.
In the lever-joint connector, as mentioned above, the first locking portion is a flexible first locking arm mounted at a front end of the lever.
In the above structure, while deflecting the first locking arm toward far-side for unlocking, the lever can be turned toward far-side so that the jointed connectors can be separated easily.
In the lever-joint connector, as mentioned above, the second locking portion is a teeter type second locking arm, and the second locking arm is provided, at a front end thereof, with a locking portion corresponding to the second be-locked portion and at a rear end thereof, with the be-pushed portion, and the second locking arm is energized at a front thereof downward in a free condition.
In the above structure, the be-pushed portion at a rear side of the second locking arm is at a high position in a free condition, and abuts on the pushing portion when the lever turns forward, and is made down securely, and simultaneously the locking portion at a front side thereof is pushed up, and then the second locking arm is turned securely in a direction of unlocking. When the be-locked portion engages with the locking portion, the locking portion is energized elastically to a direction of locking the be-locked portion (downward), so that reliability of locking is improved.
In the lever-joint connector, as mentioned above, the pushing portion is a plate-like fin portion extending downward from the lever and the insert portion for the pushing portion is a groove along lengthwise of the second locking portion.
In the above structure, the plate-like fin portion does not require wide width, and then the structure can be miniaturized and the fin portion can enter smoothly the groove of the second locking portion and engage with the groove so that the second locking portion is made stable widthwise. Thereby, position of the fin portion, i.e. position of the lever, is restrained widthwise so that the first locking portion can engage securely with the first be-locked portion without position error.
In the lever-joint connector, as mentioned above, the pushing portion is provided behind the first locking portion and on an axis of the widthwise center line of the first locking portion.
In the above structure, the second locking portion, the pushing portion and the first locking portion are located on the same vertical plane so that the structure is miniaturized widthwise.
In the lever-joint connector, as mentioned above, the second locking portion is located inside a frame-like wall which constitutes the first be-locked portion.
In the above structure, the second locking portion surrounded by the frame-like wall is protected from actions of outside. Thereby, unexpected unlocking or breakage of the second locking portion is prevented.
The above and other objects and features of this invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.